Biggest in the world has arrived at yard

Ronja Storm’s hull has arrived at Havyard yard in Leirvik, ready to become the biggest wellboat in the world.

Ronja Storm will be the world’s biggest in more ways than just being much longer than other wellboats at 116 metres. There are also no other ships in the world that have such a big freshwater production facility. The boat can produce 16.8 million litres of freshwater a day, thereby potentially covering the daily freshwater consumption of 100,000 average Norwegians.

Nor are there any other wellboats that can match her fish tank capacity or have such a great capacity for processing and transport of fish. Its capacity is nearly twice that of the average wellboat. No other boats have four fish tanks, and no others can load 1,000 tonnes of fish an hour. That means 3,300 big salmon per minute. In addition, no other wellboats have used a direct current system before. Ronja Storm is the very first, and the system will save fuel and ensure good handling of the fish.

No other ships in the world have such a big freshwater production facility as that of Ronja Storm. The boat can produce 16.8 million litres of freshwater a day, thereby potentially covering the daily freshwater consumption of 100,000 average Norwegians. Illustration: Havyard

‘Ronja Storm is the biggest in the world not only in terms of its actual size. The focus has been on thorough and reliable handling of large amounts of fish, which has required new solutions and equipment to be developed. Clients and end users have challenged us down to the tiniest detail, and the result is that Ronja Storm will be a giant in every way.’

Lasse Stokkeland, EVP Havyard Ship Technology, refers to the yard’s experience with building wellboats and says that they are ready.

‘We’ve been preparing for this for a long time, and we benefit from it being a complete Havyard product both in terms of the planning and building processes. We have full access to expertise in all fields when it comes to design, the fish handling equipment itself, and power systems and automation.'

SustainableRonja Storm is being built for Sølvtrans, which will rent the wellboat to Huon Aquaculture in Tasmania just off Australia. Kjetil Myren explains that the fish transporting and processing needs there require the large dimensions.

‘The salmon must be treated and transported many times throughout their life cycle and bathing the fish in freshwater is an effective and environmentally friendly method. Producing our own freshwater makes the treatment more sustainable, as you avoid using natural freshwater, which is a scarce resource, you save time and fuel from not having to fetch it, and you don’t have to filter it. The water is of course reused as well.'

When the salmon is treated that often, it must be possible to take them out of the cages quickly and with care to avoid stress and reduced growth. This is why such enormous systems are needed to handle the fish. To ensure fish welfare and survival, robust and redundant systems are also incorporated. Ronja Storm also has a direct current system, which is a first for a wellboat. This saves fuel and reduces noise.

The new flagshipKjetil Myren says that Havyard has developed the new flagship in the wellboat industry.

'We hope and believe that this will be a good tool for Sølvtrans and Huon Aquaculture in their work to produce healthy seafood. With the solutions we have used for Ronja Storm, we are delivering the next generation of wellboats and have taken another step towards an even more sustainable industry.'

Ronja Storm will be delivered to Sølvtrans autumn 2019. The boat will be put into use by Huon Aquaculture in Tasmania.

Roger Halsebakk, CEO in Sølvtrans, says they are very satisfied with the process so far and with the cooperation with Havyard, and he is certain that they will receive a vessel as planned that meets the expectations.

‘It will be a fantastic addition to Sølvtrans’s fleet. The ship once again confirms that Sølvtrans is at the forefront of technology developments that address quality, animal welfare and environmental considerations in the aquaculture industry.’